Glenealy School Newsletter
9th January 2020
Message from Chris
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
I would like to take this opportunity to wish the whole community a very Happy New Year and share a very warm welcome back to school in 2020. I hope all our families had a great festive season, and I wish you all the very best in this New Year.
The children have come back to school with great enthusiasm and are very happy to get back into their learning. We have a huge amount to look forward to in this early part of 2020 with many events in the coming weeks.
Glenealy’s Great 21 Day Benefit Mindset Challenge
In our SEL assembly this Monday we launched Glenealy’s 21 Day Benefit Mindset Challenge. During this challenge all students, staff and families are invited to demonstrate a Benefit Mindset by practicing small acts that make a positive difference (such as expressing gratitude or an act of kindness).
The only catch with the challenge is that every day, the action chosen must be something new. In each class the children will record these acts, reflecting on the following questions:
How did my positive action make others feel?
How did my positive action make me feel?
How did my actions create a better world?
We would love it if you could support this initiative at home, and encourage you to share with us and your children your own examples of small acts that make a positive difference.
The assembly itself was started by this inspirational video created by our Current Year 4 students when they were in Year 3 and demonstrates multiple ways in which we can show a benefit mindset in our daily interactions with each other in school. Click here to watch the video.
If you’re looking for extra inspiration, there are great action suggestion lists, such as this one from Action for Happiness.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” — Jane Goodall
Chinese New Year
We would like to remind parents that Chinese New Year is nearly upon us. I look forward to seeing you all on the playground on Thursday 23rd January for our Lion Dance. The lion, a symbol of power, wisdom, and good fortune, chases away evil spirits and brings happiness, longevity, and good luck to our community. This is always a highlight of the year. Students, staff and parents are invited to wear Chinese inspired clothing or to dress in bright pink or red colours on Thursday 23rd January as part of the festivities. We look forward to seeing you there. Please also look out for a further email from our Mandarin team containing further Year Group specific details of the arrangements and performances for the day.
Please also note that school will be closed from 3:00 pm on Thursday 23rd January and resume at 8.30 am on Monday 3rd February.
Tetrapak Collection
We had some great news regarding our ongoing drive to recycle Tetrapaks - of the many schools that are collecting for the cause, we have collected the third greatest number in Hong Kong. Look for more information on this further down in this Newsletter.
Non Uniform Day - Friday 17th January
On a different note, I am sure our community will have seen, and many will have experienced, the appalling impact of the bush fires and blazes across large areas of Southern and Eastern Australia. At a time like this, our thoughts go to members of our school community who have friends or family members affected by the terrible situation, and to those services currently facing and managing this disaster. The crisis has stirred some of our children to propose that we do something to help. To this end we will be holding an Aussie themed non-uniform day next Friday 17th January. We will use this opportunity to collect for disaster relief in Australia. Children can come dressed in non-uniform, with Australian themed wear encouraged! We will be collecting $20 donations for each non-uniform wearer - there will also be donation boxes in the playground in the morning. I want to thank all our children who have spoken to their teachers about helping, and in particular; Ollie White (6A) for taking action and proposing such a great non-uniform idea. We want to thank you in advance for supporting us to fund raise for this valuable cause.
Year 6 Exhibition - can you help?
We would like to ask parents for your support with a very special project. Every year the Year 6 children undertake the ‘PYP Exhibition’. The PYP Exhibition encourages in-depth, collaborative inquiry. In the final year of the PYP children carry out an extended, in-depth, collaborative project. This involves students working collaboratively to conduct an in-depth inquiry into an area in which they can make a positive difference to others and our world. This year, our Year 6 children will be focusing on service to others.
We are seeking parents who have links to NGO’s, charities or other social enterprises, who could potentially come in and talk to our children about their work. Even better, we are seeking opportunities for some of our children to visit or experience those charities or organisations first hand (where appropriate). So, if you or family members have links to a valuable organisation that can offer a ‘service to others’ opportunity, or you would be willing to talk to our children about it - please let us know via email or phone!
Sickness Monitoring
As you know, we are now into flu season in Hong Kong. As a result, the Centre for Health Protection, via EDB, has issued proactive guidelines for managing communicable diseases.
In order that we can manage information and report back to CHP and EDB, we ask you to note the following:
If your child has a fever and/ or respiratory illness symptoms they should stay at home and recover.
If your child is off school with sickness, please let us know if your child has a fever and/ or respiratory illness symptoms as soon as possible. If you have a doctors sick note, please provide us with a copy.
Finally, a quick reminder that our postponed School Fair will be held on the evening of Friday 21st February - please make sure this date is added to your diaries. More details will be shared by the PTA over the coming weeks.
Remember, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us here at school - our door is always open. I look forward to seeing you all around the school over the coming weeks.
Best Regards,
Chris
Dates for your Diary
Monday 13th January
Tetrapaks collection - Playground 8:00 am - 8:30 am
Friday 17th January
Non Uniform Day
Year 5 Fundraiser - Playground 3:00 pm
Thursday 23rd January
Chinese New Year Celebrations - Playground 8:30 am
Friday 24th - Friday 31st January (inclusive)
Mid term break
Monday 3rd February
School resumes after Mid term break
Monday 10th February
Tetrapaks collection - Playground 8:00 am - 8:30 am
Wednesday 12th February
Assessment at Glenealy Workshop
Friday 21st February
School Fair 5:30 - 8:00 pm
PTA News
We hope you had a fantastic break and are looking forward to 2020. The PTA have a host of events planned for this term. In addition to the hugely popular Year Group Fundraisers, we also have the rescheduled School Fair to look forward to on Friday 21st February and lunchtime discos.
The end of term Sausage Sizzle was incredibly popular and raised $9,084. Huge thanks to the parents who helped on the day and ensured it was such a success.
The gently used uniform sales have been very popular and we will be organising further collections and sales in the coming months.
Interested in joining the PTA?
One of the things that makes Glenealy such a special school is its sense of community. Join the PTA and bring your skills, ideas and enthusiasm to the heart of our school community. This highly rewarding role offers the opportunity for you to provide your input and help organise some fantastic events whilst working in a team of dedicated parents and staff.
If you would like to find out more please contact Becky the PTA administrator on PTA@glenealy.net.
Year 5 Fundraiser - 17th January
Year 5 invite you to join them after school on Friday 17th January for some eating and shopping fun! There will be lots of delicious food to enjoy and a great selection of pre-loved toys starting from $10. Remember to bring your snack containers and shopping bag!
Tetrapaks Collection Update
The next TETRAPAK collection will be on
Monday 13th January - On the playground before school - 8:00 am
Please click here for more information about the initiative and how to prepare your packaging
To Do:
Save your tetrapaks.
Open, flatten, wash them and leave them to dry. Please remove plastic caps
Bring to school on the morning of Monday 13th January - 8:00 am
Our collections this term will be:
Monday 13th January
Monday 10th February
Monday 16th March
Parents as Partners 2019/20
We would like to thank parents for their survey suggestions for our Parents as Partners events this year. We may add to this programme over the year, but wanted to share the initial schedule with parents at this time.
Details of timings, and registration for each workshop, will be announced closer to each event.
Assessment at Glenealy - Building Understanding for Parents
Workshop
Wednesday 12th February 2020
Inquiry at Glenealy
Parent Circle
Wednesday 4th March 2020
Social Emotional Learning at Glenealy-Building Resilience
Workshop
Wednesday 29th April 2020
Understanding the Teaching of Language at Glenealy
Parent Circle
Term 3 - Date To be confirmed
Important Reminder
Has your child's visa status changed?
As a reminder, all children attending an ESF school need the appropriate and valid visa status to do so. Please inform the school if your child's visa status changes. For more information, you may refer to the Immigration section on the ESF website.
Useful School Forms
Medical Authorisation Form - required should your child need to take medication whilst at school, on a school trip or camp